Helicobacter Hypothesis for Idiopathic Parkinsonism: Before and Beyond

We challenge the concept of idiopathic parkinsonism (IP) as inevitably progressive neurodegeneration, proposing a natural history of sequential microbial insults with predisposing host response. Proof-of-principle that infection can contribute to IP was provided by case studies and a placebo-controlled efficacy study of Helicobacter eradication. "Malignant" IP appears converted to "benign", but marked deterioration accompanies failure. Similar benefit on brady/hypokinesia from eradicating "low-density" infection favors autoimmunity. Although a minority of UK probands are urea breath test positive for Helicobacter , the predicted probability of having the parkinsonian label depends on the serum H. pylori antibody profile, with clinically relevant gradients between this "discriminant index" and disease burden and progression. In IP, H. pylori antibodies discriminate for persistently abnormal bowel function, and specific abnormal duodenal enterocyte mitochondrial morphology is described in relation to H. pylori infection. Slow intestinal transit manifests as constipation from the prodrome. Diarrhea may flag secondary small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth. This, coupled with genetically determined intense inflammatory response, might explain evolution from brady/hypokinetic to rigidity-predominant parkinsonism.     

ProteinChip technology: a new and facile method for the identification and measurement of high-density lipoproteins apoA-I and apoA-II and their glycosylated products in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

This paper describes a ProteinChip technology for the identification and quantification of apolipoprotein profiles in crude biological samples. Expression levels of apoA-I and apoA-II and their glycosylated products were accomplished using single 1 microL plasma samples. In the present studies, strong anionic and weak cationic exchanger ProteinChips (SAX2 and WCX2 chip surfaces) were tested, and the WCX2 chip was found to be selective for specific apolipoproteins. Using the WCX2 chip and analysis via surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SELDI-MS), apoA-I and apoA-II were separated as sharp peaks at 28 and 17 kD and did not overlap with other serum protein peaks. Since these assays can be completed on a large number of clinical samples in approximately 1 h, further development of this technique will facilitate both epidemiological studies and therapeutic trials in assessing the role of the apolipoproteins and their glycosylated products in atherosclerosis.     

Vertebrate phylogeny of antigen D10: identification of a conserved foregut cell lineage

The monoclonal antibody 5HL-5D11-D10 to antigen D10 identifies a cell lineage that is restricted to certain tissues of the human foregut. We investigated the tissue distribution of antigen D10 in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish by immunohistochemical staining. Tissue from human and each of ten other mammalian species showed staining of gastric mucous neck cells and glands of the cardia and antrum, Brunner's glands, peribiliary glands and periductal glands of the pancreas. Six of the mammalian species also expressed antigen D10 in mucosa of the larger bronchi, and five expressed it to varying degree in small bowel distal to the duodenum and in colon (three of these five species). Antigen was not detected in any of the three species of bird studied. Both reptiles and amphibians showed strong staining for antigen D10 in the gastric mucous neck cells and pyloric glands, and in a subpopulation of secretory cells in the oesophagus, with the amphibian also expressing antigen in some epithelial cells of the mouth and lung. Although absent from two species of bony fish, antigen D10 was expressed by small groups of epithelial cells of the intestine of a shark, and generally by the epithelial and connective tissue cells of the gut and gills, and hepatocytes of one species of ray. The presence of antigen D10 in different tissues and species was confirmed by both an indirect ELISA and immunoblot analysis of tissue extracts. Our observations suggest that the D10 epitope characterises a subpopulation of mucus-secreting cells, predominantly of the foregut and associated organs, which has been conserved throughout terrestrial vertebrate evolution.     

Meta-analysis of increases in micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes after angiography or excretory urography

Norman, A., Cochran, S. T. and Sayre, J. W. Meta-analysis of Increases in Micronuclei in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes after Angiography or Excretory Urography. Radiat. Res. 155, 740-743 (2001). Meta-analysis of 10 studies confirms a significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei in peripheral blood lymphocytes after angiography or excretory urography; the weighted average increase is 4.2 (95% confidence interval 2.8-5.6) per 1000 binucleate lymphocytes, about the same increase in micronuclei as that produced in vitro by a diagnostic X-ray dose of 4 cGy. The analysis failed to reveal a significant effect of the specific contrast medium used in the X-ray examinations on the increased frequency of micronuclei. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the effect of the contrast media is limited to the enhancement, by the photoelectric effect, of the X-ray dose absorbed by the lymphocytes irradiated while suspended in the contrast medium. Therefore, an estimate of increased cancer risk based on elevated frequencies of micronuclei or chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood lymphocytes may be greatly exaggerated whenever the radiation damage is largely confined to the cells circulating in the blood, as it is in people who have recently had X-ray examinations that use intravenous injections of contrast medium. Such examinations include angiography, excretory urography and CT scans, which are received annually by millions of people.     

Evolution and diversity of Rickettsia bacteria

Background  

Rickettsia are intracellular symbionts of eukaryotes that are best known for infecting and causing serious diseases in humans and other mammals. All known vertebrate-associated Rickettsia are vectored by arthropods as part of their life-cycle, and many other Rickettsia are found exclusively in arthropods with no known secondary host. However, little is known about the biology of these latter strains. Here, we have identified 20 new strains of Rickettsia from arthropods, and constructed a multi-gene phylogeny of the entire genus which includes these new strains.     

Feeding habits of invasive American mink (Neovison vison) in northern Germany—potential implications for fishery and waterfowl

In order to collect ecological data of invasive American mink (Neovison vison) at a fishpond area in northeastern Germany, we conducted a telemetry study in which 14 mink were radio-tracked. During this project, 2,502 scats from radio-tracked individuals were collected in the period from October 2003 to October 2005. Investigated mink principally prey on fish, small mammals and birds (eggs inclusive), whereas amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates were caught infrequently. Analysing mink scats of different seasons, we found significant seasonal variations of diet composition. In spring, fish, mammals and birds were hunted in similar amounts. During summer, birds made up the main part of the diet followed by mammals. In autumn, the proportion of birds in the mink diet decreased, whereas fish gained in importance. This trend continued during the winter period, when mink preyed almost exclusively on fish. Amphibians, crustaceans, insects, molluscs and reptiles were found only occasionally in scat samples. Among birds, the mink preyed mainly on the Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) followed by the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Mammalian prey was clearly dominated by the water vole (Arvicola terrestris) and among fish, mink hunted especially perch (Perca fluviatilis), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and carp (Cyprinus carpio). Results clearly demonstrate that mink is an opportunistic predator, which hunts its prey according to availability and vulnerability, respectively. Despite the high portions of fish in their autumn and winter diet, the economic damage caused by mink seems to be negligible. However, high predation rates on birds during the breeding season indicate a potential negative impact of mink on waterfowl.     

Germinal center function in the spleen during simian HIV infection in rhesus monkeys

Infection with HIV-1, SIV, or simian HIV is associated with abnormalities in the number, size, and structure of germinal centers (GCs). To determine whether these histopathologic abnormalities are associated with abnormalities in Ab development, we analyzed nucleotide sequences of Igs from splenic GCs of simian HIV-infected macaques. Virus-specific GCs were identified in frozen splenic tissue sections by inverse immunohistochemistry using rHIV-1 gp120 as a probe. B cells from envelope-specific GCs were isolated from these sections using laser capture microdissection. Their Igs were amplified from cDNA using nested PCR, then cloned and sequenced. Nucleotide sequences were recovered from nine multimember clonal lineages. Within each lineage, sequences had similar V-D-J or V-J junctions but differed by somatic mutations distributed throughout the variable domain. The clones were highly mutated, similar to that previously reported for HIV-1-specific human IgG Abs. The average clone had 37 mutations in the V region, for a frequency of 0.11 mutations/base. The mutational pattern was strikingly nonrandom, with somatic mutations occurring preferentially at RGYW/WRCY hotspots. Transition mutations were favored over transversions, with C-->T and G-->A replacements together accounting for almost one-third of all mutations. Analysis of replacement and silent mutations in the framework and CDRs suggests that the Igs were subjected to affinity selection. These data demonstrate that the process of Ab maturation is not seriously disrupted in GCs during the early stages of immunodeficiency virus infection, and that Env-specific Igs developing in GCs are subject to extensive somatic mutation and profound selection pressures.